Tongue & Groove Solid Wood Floors
The following page contains some basic information about floors. If you wish to skip to our flooring sales page, please click here. To return to our home page, click here.
What is Tongue & Groove Flooring ?
The diagram below shows the cross section of a typical T&G floor board. The top face is planed to produce an even finish.
The 'tongue' is moulded into one edge, anf the 'groove' into the other, to allow the boards to engage as the floor is fitted. The advantage of T&G is that it helps to prevent individual boards from 'lifting' (rising above the boards around them as the humidity changes).
Finally, the bottom face is moulded with grooves to help prevent 'cupping' (the edges of the board rising above the middle as the humidity varies).
A solid wood floor gives a room a natural feel, and is a beautiful feature.
It is easier to clean than a carpet, and much more hardwearing than a laminate floor.
Some laminate floors only have 4mm of timber on the top surface. T&G floors are typically 18mm - 22mm. Therefore, if your floor is looking tired after years of use, you can resand and refinish it very cheaply, compared to replacing the floor in total.
Wood is susceptible to changes in the ambient humidity. That is, as the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere changes, so the moisture content of the timber will vary. However, with a few simple precautions, problems can be avoided.
Make sure that an expansion gap is left around the floor. This is a small gap between the floor and the wall, of perhaps 10mm, which will allow the whole floor to swell and shrink, whithout the whole floor lifting.
Make sure that the finish used is suited to the environment and the level of traffic. For example, a bathroom floor will require a water proof or water resistant finish, whereas a hallway will require a very tough finish.
Wood is also susceptible to 'bleaching' (its colour fading) when in direct sunlight. In addition, if the sun shines onto the floor without any UV protection, this can cause the timber to dry and shrink.